Q&A with Chef Les Kincaid

Chef Les Kincaid has been teaching for UNLV Continuing Education for about 25 years. His classes have been so popular that Chef Kincaid has built quite a dedicated following. We talked with chef to get his thoughts on how to entice and motivate students to take his food & beverage classes.

How do you select a class to teach?

By questions, suggestions, and input from the students and other food loving acquaintances.

What do you want your students to learn when they leave your class…the one thing to walk away with?

That they take away new ideas, thoughts and techniques that I teach in class as well as the handouts I give them. Because having meatloaf every Thursday gets boring.

Why do you like to teach the classes that you teach?

The students. They bring the uniqueness and a je ne sais quoi to the class and have a sincere interest in upgrading their culinary prowess.

If you had one ingredient to choose from, what would be your favorite to cook with?

I can’t answer that question (laughing), because you can’t just cook with just one ingredient in a recipe.

Chef Kincaid’s cooking classes are held at Ferguson Enterprises. Other classes are offered at the UNLV Paradise Campus when appropriate.

Click here for a full list of Chef Kincaid's spring and summer class offerings.

Car Care 101

I'm not sure if it’s a generational thing, regional thing or something else altogether. Growing up in Ohio as a child of the 80s, my dad made sure I knew the basics of car care. At the time I had no clue why, but now it’s become obvious. Cars are expensive; car care is expensive, too. Not to mention if you get a flat tire in the middle of nowhere at an ungodly hour, you want to be able to change tires and get home.

I have a ton of respect for car people, but please don’t think I’m one of them. I know very little about car makes and models. I say that because I consider myself an average Joe when it comes to automobiles. I just got lucky that my dad taught me the basics like changing a flat tire, switching out car batteries, and checking the oil. Because of this foundation, though, I learned I could do even more basic care, like change spark plugs, headlight lamps and even brake pads and rotors. Over time, all this self repair added up to great savings.

But as an adult, how can someone learn these basics, short of hanging out at with a mechanic all day long? Luckily, UNLV Continuing Education is offering Car Care 101. Sure, it can be intimidating to step foot into the gearhead culture, but that’s the beauty of a class like this. Only the instructor is an expert while everyone else is there to learn the same basics. Specifically in this class, you can expect to prolong the life of your car with routine preventative care as well as the fundamentals of maintenance.

To learn more about our Car Care classes, visit our online catalog - http://continuingeducation.unlv.edu/catalog

Classes We Love for Valentine’s Day

Valentine's Day is right around the corner; have you made plans? Dinner is nice, but perhaps we can suggest some new ways to spend time with your sweetheart on this day dedicated to those we love.

French I
Ah, la langue d’amour! If you would love to tell a special someone how much you care en Français, why not start French lessons on Valentine’s Day? Since life isn’t all romance, we promise you will also learn more practical phrases and vocabulary for travel and everyday conversation.
Sat | Feb 14-May 2* | 9:30-11:30am | $199 | PAR 301 | 151LA1107
*Class does not meet March 28 or April 4.

CPR/AED & First Aid
Valentine’s Day turns our thoughts to all things heart-related—like CPR! Training from the American Heart Association will get you ready to respond quickly and confidently in case someone you love (or even a total stranger) has a medical emergency.
Sat | Feb 14 | 9am-2:30pm | $89 | PAR 302 | 151HE1101A

Decadent Chocolate & Wine Pairing
This class practically screams, “Valentine’s date night.” Chef Les Kincaid will teach you to properly pair chocolates and wines by taste, texture, and intensity for heightened enjoyment. You will be able to practice what you learned a few days later on Valentine’s Day!
Wed | Feb 11 | 6-8:30pm | $69 | Total Wine & More Summerlin | 151HA1135

Best of Red Rock Canyon
The rocks are red,
The sky is blue,
Come hike and learn,
Bring your sweetheart too.
Spend the day learning about the geology, history, hydrology, and archaeology of stunning Red Rock National Conservation area with a geologist/naturalist guide. This will be an ideal Valentine’s day outing for nature lovers!
Sat | Feb 14 | 8am-2pm | $95 | Meet at PAR back parking lot | 151EX1247

As a reward for reading this blog post and checking out all these great program options, here's a secret little Valentine's Day tip from a gal who grew up in "Sweetheart City," Loveland, CO. If you plan in advance and send your valentines to the Loveland Valentine Remailing Program, they will imprint your envelope with a Valentine poem and a "From Loveland with Love" stamp cancellation, then send it along to its final destination. Every year more than 100,000 valentines are processed through the program. Other than the stamp to mail your cards to Loveland, there is no cost to do this! 

What to do with your tax return? Invest in your career!

The arrival of the first W2 near the end of January symbolizes the start of tax season at my house. We get out a fresh file folder and begin to assemble forms, receipts, and other documentation.

I love the instant gratification of self-service tax preparation software. Within minutes we can have a sense of whether we owe taxes or if we will get a return.

Sometimes, the news is not great and we bust out our checkbook. On these years we wait until the bitter end to fork money over.

By contrast, if calculations confirm we’re getting a tax return, we happily file early and eagerly await the transfer into our bank account. The obvious next step is to start dreaming about how we’ll spend this unplanned windfall…

We could treat ourselves to items we want but really don’t need. While fun for the short term, I’m afraid this course of action doesn't do us any long term financial good.

But line 21 of my 1040 Schedule A has me thinking of another option for spending a refund: investing in work training! According to the IRS, if I itemize my deductions, training to enhance my current career may be tax deductible! I’m thinking this is a positive financial double-whammy. As my skills improve, so will my value to my employer. Then, on my 2015 taxes, I can write off fees, books, and possibly even mileage and travel expenses.

And now for a shameless plug: did you know UNLV Continuing Education offers more than 25 professional development programs to help you enhance your career skills? How about using your tax return to boost your career in one of the well-performing sectors of the Las Vegas economy, like hospitality, transportation, health, and professional and business services? If you meet all the IRS's criteria, you may even be able to deduct your professional training expenses next year!